How important is turnout to you??

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luckyjac

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How important is turnout area to you? where is it on your list of priorities if the yard has everything else to offer, mainly convenience as can walk to it from home and meant that you could ride everyday? It is about 1/6 acre just for him, and he isnt used to being turned out as he was previously at a competition home. Im trying to weigh up the benefits (cant run about and damage himself, get kicked etc) with the obvious negatives (less grass, more feed, hay) He is a very chilled horse so he will not fizz up etc. Thanks in advance.
 
Turnout is extremely important.
It's what they are meant to do.
It's totally unfair and in my opinion cruel for a horse not to get turnout.

There are ways to make it safer, individual, boots, exercise before turnout etc.
 
Turnout is my number 1 priority. Minimum of long day in winter, and option of 24/7 in summer, safe fields, with company. Facilities and convenience are great for me, not so much for horses IMO :)
 
Erm well my horse is out 24/7 so its fairly high on my list. I wouldnt consider a yard that didnt offer a decent ammount of turn out all year.
 
For me it is hugely important. My horses have spent time on a yard with less than ideal turnout. They now have great turnout decent shelter and good fencing and they and I have never been happier. For me alongside good hacking it is the most important thing.
 
Absolute essential to me, I think it's cruel to keep horses stabled 24/7 unless of course it's injured etc. or too dangerous to turn out like in the thick of winter with ice etc, but that's only ever short term few days .
 
Not extremely high in mine having previously been on a competition yard too, facilities and distance are very important to me and as long as there is some kind of turnout with nice fields preferably alone or in a group of two but no more as thats when the nonsence starts with my boy lol
 
Turnout is the top of my list of priorities. I like 24/7 turnout in summer and daytime turnout in winter. Last winter was extremely wet where I am so they didn't get much turnout. I will be probably moving them this year as winter approaches to a yard which offers better winter turnout as it is very important to me and my horses.
 
TO is very important for me - i would have to have TO everyday even just for a few hours in winter but pretty much 24/7 in summer - i'd rather have turnout than a school - my list would be : -
under40mins one way
turnout
hacking
facilities
stable
 
Turnout is a priority, even my competition horses go out at least daily, ideally at night in the summer if we ever get one.
I would not consider 1/6 acre sufficient for anything other than a tiny pony, they can barely move in such a limited area and it really helps with fitness and I believe their soundness if they can move around freely, the horse's health really benefits from as much time out in a proper field as possible.
 
Essential and all year round turnout as well. My horses go out at 6.30am in the winter and come in at about 2.30. In the summer they live out 24/7. I liken lack of turnout to being shut in a small bedroom for 23 hours of the day. It is only on very rare occasions that my horses spend prolonged time in their stables and the weather has to be pretty dire for me to do that.

Yes, my paddocks get a bit muddy in the winter but they are managed and always recover in the spring. It is more important for the well being of my horses to have a field to go into every day than a horse walker or floodlit manege!
 
Top priority for me. 24/7 in summer & all day in winter, preferably only in at night for a few months of the coldest weather. Would compromise as far as 12hrs turnout a day year round when mine was younger but not now. Would move house myself if I couldn't get it within reasonable distance. And did choose current house within a larger area for its proximity to several places that do turnout. Everything else is just a bonus.
 
I personally think it depends on the horse. My last horse was quite happy on minimal turnout (still got an hour at winter and most of the day in summer) and would stand by the gate waiting to come in if the weather was rubbish or it got later than usual. He was a massive wuss though! Current horse I would not consider a yard without 24h turnout in summer and good turnout in winter as he is a complete prat without it.

So if you feel your horse can cope with the minimal turnout and the rest of the facilities are ideal I wouldn't be too put off by the limited turnout.
 
Turnout is essential imo. When we had ours at livery and yard-hunted, the amount of turnout available was number 1 on our list of priorities - had to be all year round turnout, preferably 24/7 turnout in summer. Anything else was a bonus!
 
Anyone who thinks their horse 'doesn't mind' having no turn out obviously thinks it is ok for a horse to be conditioned to 'no turn out'. Urgh.

Horses are not supposed to stand in a box. This is possibly my biggest bug bear of all in the horsey world (beyond neglect etc) but I mean my BIGGEST bugbear among those who look after a horse fairly appropriately.

No turnout = no horse as far as I am concerned.

I know that the situation isn't as cut and dry for most people but it is cut and dry for me.

The injury card is just silly. My horse has been turned out for approx 10-12 hours a day for the last 2 years (summer months out 24/7) and is yet to sustain an injury in the field!
 
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The most important thing on my list when looking at livery yards is turnout. I wouldn't even consider a yard where there was so little. Likewise I wouldn't go to a yard that restricted turnout in winter either.

I just think it is totally unnatural for any horse to be stuck in such a small space long term. They need room to run around in.
 
ANY turnout is important :)

Mine goes out around 6 hours a day and shes ready to come in after that. She was out for 8 once i was really late, she was ready to come in (not upset, just had enough)

Shocking really as a few months back at a previous yard,... she was out all day from 9am-8pm.... she stood around most of the day, i now know why lol, she does like routine, company , and a nice stable :)

she had ulcers so vet said turnout more the better but i do believe its down to the specific horse... mine seems happy as it is :)
 
top priority! I wont keep mine on a yard that doesn't offer daily turnout all year as a minimum, we'd put up with the odd day in for horrendus weather but just coz its wet isn't a good enough excuse!!

As it is they have 24/7 turn out all year and we're all much happier that way
 
Absolute top priority. Wouldnt consider a yard with limited turn out - he is currently out 24/7 and last winter was only in at night on the odd occasion. When we have been on yards where he has to be in at night, i would be bringing him in as late as possible and turning back out as early as i could. I dont agree with having them stood in a stable for longer than necessary (unless on a vets advice), and i dont think my horse agrees either!
 
Hugely important, so much so mine's on grass livery. I wouldn't consider any yard without decent turnout - for me that would mean 24/7 in summer and as long as physically possible in winter if not 24/7. Things like convenience or a decent school 'matter' to me, not my horse, and her welfare is the priority.
 
Top priority.


(We have got a horse who was a bit 'institutionalised' I guess you could call it, and wasnt used to much turnout. The change in her now she has adjusted is incredible to see. Her temperament, demeanour, overall health, hooves, everything is so much improved.)
 
Isn't turnout important to everyone? :eek: whatever my type of horse, placid or freaky, good or poor doer, small or larger, I won't go to a yard without an acre per horse :eek: and winter daytime turnout,
 
Mmm, competition yards with no turnout... Do they offer a dose of gastric ulcers, weaving and cribbing as an incentive to be at their yard? Travel a little further and have a happier healthier horse op
 
Turnout is the Number 1 priority to me.
I can make do with anything as long as I have turnout but without turnout, I'd have 2 unhappy, raving lunatic ponies.
 
Essential.

I wouldn't have horses if I didn't have turnout.

Apart from all the usual 'it is more natural', 'they are happier' blah, blah, blah stuff, I absolutely loathe and detest mucking out and have no intention of ever again keeping a horse in on a regular basis unless I am being paid to do so. I have done my time on the business end of a wheelbarrow thankyou very much.

If I didn't have my own land I wouldn't have horses either. At all.
 
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